Shirt-waist holder and skirt-supporter.



No. 678,765. Patented m l6, l90l.

T. DE (1.. RICHARDSON. SHIRT WAIST HOLDER AND SKIRT SUPPORTED.

m nmion flld Jan. 21, 1901.

(No Model.)

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THOMAS DE Q. RICHARDSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

St-iiRT=WAiST HOLDER AND SKIRT SwUPPORTE-QR.

SPEQIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 678,76 5, dated July 16, 1901. Application filed January 21,1901. 'Serial No, 43,978. (N0 model-1 T0 ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS DE Q. RICH- ARDSON, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in a Combined Shirt- YVaist Holder and Skirt-Supporter, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a well-known class of devices in which a flexible belt adapted to encircle the waist of the wearer is provided with a plurality of engaging devices so constituted as to perform the double function of holding down the shirt-waist and holding up or supporting the skirt of the wearer.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive combined shirt-waist holder and skirt-supporter in which provision is made, first, to obviate pressure of the engaging devices upon the spine of the wearer; second, to hold down the material of the shirtwaist without resort to devices or tensions which operate to puncture, perforate, or tear its material, and, third, to support or hold up the material of the skirt without danger of disengagement and in so doing to utilize the weight of said skirt to effect the holding down or retention of the waist with the advantages above indicated.

In the accompanying drawings I have represented and hereinafter I describe a device typically embodying my improvements.

Figure l is a View in perspective of the device in its entirety; Fig. 2, an elevational exterior view of the skirt-supporting and waistretaining or so-called engaging plates, and Fig. 3 a vertical sectional end view of the right-hand plate of Fig. 2 in the plane of the dotted linen: 00.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures.

Referring to the drawings, A, .Fig. 1, represents a belt, the rear central portion of which, being that which in use overlies the spine of the wearer, is unoccupied, composed of flexible or pliable and preferably longitudinally-extensible material, and which is provided at one end with a buckle, clasp, or kindred fastening to unite its free front ends.

0 G represent a plurality (preferably two) of skirt supporting and waist retaining devices relatively disposed upon the belt proper at each side of and in adjacency to its 6X tensible rear portion G, and therefore respectively adapted in the application of the device to the waist of the wearer to clear the spine. Each of these skirt-supporting and waist-retaining devices, which constructively are counterparts, is formed of a plate, preferably of sheet metal, provided at or very near its ends with parallel transverse slots F right angular to the longitudinal axis of the plate and respectively adapted for the passage or attachment of the material of the belt proper, A. Each plate has along its extreme lower longitudinal edge a row of relatively small teeth I), which are inclined or turned inwardly, so as to press against the material of the shirt waist without perforating it. Each plate has also along its upper longitudinal edge portion a salient or outwardlyturned lip or angular flange D the extreme edge of which is provided with outwardly and upwardly projecting teeth D, adapted to engage or press into the upper or waist portion of the skirt and by virtue of their form and disposition upon and relatively to said outwardly 7 turned flange adapted under' the weight of the skirt to exert a constant leverage upon the plate as an entirety, which tends to cause said plate to turn or slightly rotate, so to speak, with reference to its longitudinal axis, and thereby occasion such inward pressure of the smaller teeth of the lower edge of the plate as will cause said teeth to exert such a frictional grip or pressure upon the material of the shirt-waist as is disproportionate to the pressure or grip which they would otherwise exert under the influence of the simple tightening of the belt proper alone and without the additional influence exerted as a result of the leverage referred to.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A shirt-waist holder and a skirt-supporter consisting of a waist-belt proper which embodies a flexible unoccupied central rear portion to overlie the spine of the wearer, and which, in adjacency to the opposite ends of said central unoccupied portion, is provided with a plurality of engaging plates, the lower longitudinal edges of which are provided with a series of inwardly-projecting teeth and the upper longitudinal edge portions of which are each provided with a series of outwardlyprojecting teeth.

2. In combination with a Waist-belt, having an unoccupied central rear porti0n,a plurality of engaging plates, the extreme lower longitudinal edges of which are provided with a series of relatively small inwardly-projecting teeth, the upper longitudinal edge portions of which are each provided with an outwardlyprojecting flange having on the extreme edge of said portion a series of outwardly-projecting teeth, and the end portions of which embody transverse slots right angular to the 1ongitndinal axis of the plate, said plates being located on opposite sides of said unoccupied central portion of said belt.

THOMAS DE o. RICHARDSON.-

Witnesses:

SAMUEL J. TAYLOR, BRADBURY BEDELL. 

